¦«.*> -"-*¦" a-.V.f: fi^S^^J .*? T js^t; v^ !"<»! 1 * '* YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ROMANISM AT HOME. LETTERS TO THE HON. EO&ER B. TANEY, CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE UNITED STATES, BY KIRWAN. NEW YORK: HARPER <& BR^T^yRfe/ PUBLISHERS, 3 2 9 n; they are rare as swaUows in winter at those holy places to whichthey encourage the vulgar to go. Why is this ? As among the ancient Egyptians, the priests have a religion for the people and a reUgion for themselves. The ancient heathen believed, and all the heathen nations of the East now believe, that some places are peculiarly holy, and that a visit to them is greatly mer itorious, tending to purify the soul, and to gain the fa vor of the gods : Popery adopts from thefr mythology this very principle, and in its pilgrimages and penances we have an exact countei-part of those of the heathen in ancient and modern times. Are you not beginning to see that Romanism is far more Pagan than Chris tian ; that it bears a nearer resemblance to the teach ings of the Shaster than to those of the Scriptures ? , Nor have I yet exhausted the Paganism of Roman ism. More evidence to this point in my next. Yours, with great respect. 65 Many points of agreement Market-place of Naples, LETTER VIIL The Market-place at Naples. — A ludicrous Disaster at its Gate. — Ima ges every where revered. — Church of St. Augustin. —Scene witnessed there. — The Image of Peter at St. Peter's. — Worshiped by Pope and Cardinals. — The Pantheon: Scene there. — Rome, Pagan in Fact, Christian only in Name. My dear Sir, — I am not yet through with the Pa ganism of Romanism. So manifold are the points in which they touch and blend, and so numerous are the institutions, rites, and ceremonies transferred bodily fi-om the one to the other, that to exhaust the subject would require volumes ; but I am not going to write volumes. Yet that you, and the poor, degraded vic tims of the system may see, as I see, that in many of its main features it is baptized Paganism, I have a few more things to adduce in order to strengthen my po sition. In the mean time, let me ask you not to forget what I have said about holy water, incense, candles, and holy weUs. There is in Naples a market held in a square caUed Marcenello, and so caUed, if our valet spoke the truth, which is not always to be taken for granted in Italy, from the name of a rebel against the government, who rose up from among the fishermen, and who, in this square, put to death, in a barbarous manner, many of the nobles. You enter this market-place by a gate way, on one side of which I saw an image of the Vir- 66 Ludicrous scene. Devotion to pictures. gin and Child inclosed in a glass case, with candles burning before it, and to which the peasants, as they passed out and in,' always bowed the knee. In this gateway I witnessed a most ludicrous scene, which admfrably Ulustrates the piety of the NeapoUtans. On approaching the gate, a donkey, laden with vegetables, as I had never seen a donkey laden before, and driven by a brawny and boisterous master, stumbled, and cabbages, onions, and turnips were scattered around. The donkey recovered, and his enraged driver overtook him in the gateway, where for some minutes I wit nessed the farce of his bowing tp the Vfrgin, and whip ping the donkey, and swearing at him at the same time. The obvious distraction caused by his reverence for the Vfrgin and his rage at the ass was most divert ing. And these pictures and images you see every where in purely Papal countries, and they are held in great reverence by the people. They superabound in Naples. And they are to be fouhd in all Popish churches. As you enter these churches, they strike a stranger as one of thefr great p'ecuUarities. You see people kneel ing and praying before them and to them. Never, on any occasion, have I seen a more profound reverence manifested than I have seen toward these pictures and images in the churches of Rome, and in the presence of swarming priests. And to multitudes of these pic- tiires mfraculous powers are attributed ; and healing from diseases is sought from thefr touch, and forgive ness bf sin from thefr worship. This statement may be denied in theory by the priest, but it is true to the letter in the practice of the people. And that you, 67 Church of St Augustin. A scene there. Sfr, may be convinced of this, permit me to make a statement of a scene on which I gazed with my own eyes, and which may be daUy witnessed in Rome. On the lovely Sabbath morning of the 8th of last J une, I started in company vnth others for St. Peter's. We took in our way the Church of St. Augustin, famed for its fresco of Isaiah by Raphael. Near to the right entrance is the statue of the Vfrgin and ChUd by San- sovino, which, for reasons that I could not learn, is an object of special veneration. Both the Vfrgin and ChUd were most gorgeously robed, and were sparkling with brUUants, the munificent donations of the opulent. The church has three naves, and is supported by gigantic pUlars, all of which were covered from top to bottom, and on aU sides, with hearts made of different metals. Around the statue was a crowd of poor people, each in tensely anxious to kiss the toe of the Vfrgin, and crowd ing thefr way to gain thefr end. Mothers were there, holding up thefr infant chUdren in thefr hands, and pushing them over the heads of others, that they might only touch the venerated image. The successful com petitors for the holy kiss, sprinkled themselves with wa-- ter, and, after abstracting a penny or a paul from thefr rags, and depositing it in a money-box just by the statue, they retfred, with joy and pleasure beaming from thefr countenances. Priests in flocks were passing in and out, but they sought neither to kiss the Vfrgin's toe, nor to stay the idolatry of the people. And what meant those hearts which hung in thousands from the pUlars and walls of the edifice ? They were the votive offer ings of those who received benefit or cure from kissing the toe of the image made by Sansovino I I heard. 68 kirwan's LETTERS. Dr. DufiF. Image of St Peter. subsequently. Dr. Duff' portraying with burning elo quence the idolatry of India, but no picture did he draw so gross or revolting as that which I witnessed, and which you may witness in the Church of St. Augustin, which Ues within the hearing of a gunshot to the pal ace of the Pope ! This is the church to which the poor in Rome do mostly resort It Ues in a crowded and dirty part of the city. We passed on to St. Peter's. Here are pictures and statuary beyond number. I shaU how only ask your attention to the image of St. Peter. There it is in the great nave, near to the high altar, and just in the posi tion to attract the eye of every visitor. It is a sitting figure, formed of bronze, and resting on a heavy marble pedestal. His face is such as you might expect from his character as depicted in the Scriptures, impulsive and stern ; his right hand is lifted as if in the act of blessing ; and in his left he holds two ponderous keys. This statue is a great affafr in Rome, and has its his tory and its worshipers. Some say that, save the head and hands, it is the old Jupiter Tonans, with the thun derbolts exchanged for the keys. I have scarcely a doubt but that it is so. And at stated times the Pope and his cardinals go to it in gorgeous procession, and render to it, as far as the external act is concerned, as profound a worship as ever did the old Romans under the name of Jupiter. I saw myself priests bowing be fore it, kissing its toe,. and rubbing it with thefr fore heads. Indeed, by constant kissing and rubbing, sev eral feet have been worn down ; and, as I can testify, the present one is dying of consumption. WhUe meas- urmg its dimensions with my eye, and rubbing wdth kirwan's letters. 69 Holy linages. Mary at Lucca. St Dominic. my hand the wasting toes, and thinking of the priestly wickedness connected with the whole affair, I was told that our friend of New York, on Ins recent visit, pros trated himself before it. If so, it is another evidence of his great fitness to wear the fillet made by withered nuns from the wool of holy sheep. We, Sir, away in this land of darkness, and, if a star at aU in the ecclesiastical firmament, only a wander ing star that wiU not obey the impulses of the sun, and that will not be attracted to the great centre of Cath oUc unity, are as poor in holy statues and paintings as we are in holy weUs ; and very much for the same rea son. But other countries are very rich in them. Have you not heard, Sfr, of the holy image of the Virgin and ChUd in Lucca — how the shoulder of the image bled when struck by a furious man — and how" the blood is preserved to this day, and is exhibited with grea:t cere mony to the faithful ? Are you^-can you be ignorant of the image of St. Dominic, in Calabria, which was brought from Heaven by St. Catharine and Mary Mag dalene, and which, as cardinals, bishops, and priests testify, has raised the dead, given eyes to the blind, and cured aU diseases and infirmities ? It is yet visit ed by swarms of pUgrims yearly. This St. Dominic, you wiU remember, was the father of that wonderfully human institution, the Inquisition, which your good archbishop so manfuUy vindicates in that erudite work on theology which he has so kindly dedicated to you. Have you not heard of the pibture of Mary, painted by St. Luke, kept fri a church near Florence, which is brought out in solemn procession in order to avert any calamity which may be feared as impenduig over Flor- 70 kirwan's letters. Shy of Protestants. The Pantheon. ence or Tuscany? But, Sfr, the time would faU me to teU you of the numbers beyond number scattered over -Southern and Northern Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, and HoUand ; and which, even in our day, are regarded as possessing wondrous and heal ing efficacy. Where there is a mixture of Protestants among the people, these things are kept behind the cur tain, and are but secretly encouraged ; but where the people are unmixed Papists, they are openly patronised, and, in many cases, are of more value than mines of gold to the priests. I met these things every where in Italy— in churches, by the road-side, in market-places, at the corners of the streets, in cigar shops — and, in multitudes of cases, I have seen the people offering to them, at least in appearance, the most profound wor ship. If, Sfr, you have not seen, yourhave surely read of the Pantheon, the most perfect and celebrated monu ment of ancient Rome. Although built before the Christian era, there it yet stands, in aU its original proportions, unaffected by the revolutions of two thou sand years. Although various are the interpretations given to its name, yet in this temple aU the gods of the heathen were worshiped ; and, when new countries were conquered, thefr gods, or dupUcates of them, were sent to this temple, that the people from those nations, visiting the then metropolis of the world, might have thefr accustomed images before which to bow. And for this purpose it was most admfrably arranged. This gem of antiquity, originaUy buUt by Agrippa, the son-in-law of Augustus, and dedicated by him to Jupiter Ultor, Mars, Venus, and, as its name imports. kirwan's letters. 71 Heathen images remain. Whence images. to all the gods, was dedicated by Pope Boniface IV. to the Vfrgin Mary and all the saints. With this sin gle change, it remained as it was. Mary took the place, perhaps, of Venus, and the saints of Jupiter, Mars, and the other^ heroic gods of the heathen. The old images remained, but with new names, and they were passed off upon the deluded populace as the veracious frnages of Christian heroes !- And as the heathen found there aU thefr gods before which to bow, so now do Papists find there thefr favorite saints before which to pray. Several times did I stand beneath its beautiful dome, and witness the ceremonies at its several altars ; and, as I saw the few that resorted there looking for a few minutes around, and then filing to the right or left as they discerned the picture of thefr favorite saint, how could I resist the impression that it was yet in substance and form a heathen temple, or suppress the fear that it was so in fact ? I assure you, Sfr, that I regarded the dirty and clumsy priests I saw there more as the priests of Jupiter than of Jesus, and the per sons I saw worship there more as Pagans than Chris tians. Now, Sfr, the question again arises, and imperatively demands an answer. Whence these images — whether of the chisel or the pencil, the carpenter or taason— which every where crowd Papal churches, and which are multiplied to a surfeit in Papal countries, and which have so much to do with the genuflections, prostrations, prayers, and beads of ignorant Papists ; and, as in the case of the statue of St. Peter, even with those of the Pope himself, and his crimsoned cardinals ? Whence all this ' Not, surely, from the Scriptures of the Old 72 kirwan's letters. Not from the Scriptures. Other heathen temples. Testament, because we are taught nothing by them more clearly than that God, in his anger, visited the Jews with war, famine, pestUence, and dispersion, to punish them for the sin of setting up images after the manner of the heathen. Not, surely, in the Scrip tures of the New Testament, where we are taught that there is but one mediator between God and man, and that we must worship God in spfrit and in truth. Whence, then, is it ? Clearly from Paganism. And so undeniable is its paternity, that many Romanists not only wUl not question it, but wUl absolutely defend ft as a capital stroke of poUcy to bring over the people from Paganism to Popery without thefr knowing; it ; and what was once, on this ground, a stroke of poUcy, is now retained and defended as essential to impress the senses of the vulgar, with whom spfritual concep tions is a work of great difficulty ! And as it is in the Pantheon, so it is in the other hea then temples that yet remain in Rome ; they have puU- ed down one idol and set up another, or merely changed its name; Thesweet Uttle temple of Vesta is now pos sessed by the Madonna of the Sun ; that of Fortuna VfriUs by Mary the Egyptian ; that of Saturn by St. Adrian ; that of Romulus and Remus by Cosmas and Damianus ; and -so on to. the end of the chapter. And with Dr. Middleton I can truly say, that I would rath er give divine honors with Pagan Rome to the found ers of empires, than with Papal Rome to fictitious saints, whose mfracles and holiness have nothing to sus tain them but the miserable legends of the monks of the Dark Ages. If I must bow before pictures or im ages at aU, give me Vesta, and Saturn, and Romulus : KIR WAN's. letters. 73 Pagan better than Papal gods. and I wUl give the Madonna of the Sun, and Adrian, and Cosmas to the Pope and his priests. Are you not now beginning to see that Romanism is far more Pagan than Cliristian ? With great respect, yours. D 74 Landing at Naples. Appearance of prieatB- LETTER IX. Cumulative Evidence of the Paganism of Romanism. — Landing at Na ples. — Appearance of the Ecclesiastics. — Convent house. — Church of Capuchins at Rome. — Preserved Monk. — Horrid Burying-place. — Nuns — how manufactured. — Whence Monks and Nuns, and for what. — Tools of the Priests and Corrupters of the People. My dear Sir, — I am not yet through wdth the Pa ganism of Romanism. The evidences of the paternity of the religion of the Seven Hills grow with investiga tion. Like the ruins of Pompeii, they lie concealed be neath a slight external covering, which is easUy re moved. On landing at Naples, I was struck with the large number of ecclesiastics, in different garbs, that were to be seen in aU fhe streets. They all looked extiemely fantastical and self-satisfied. Some wore a three-cocked hat, and some no hat. Some wore shorts, and stock ings, and shoes with large buckles, and some wore sandals without stockings; but, whether they wore shorts or not, 1 could not teU from thefr flowing dress. Some wore an elegant priestly coat of black cloth, gfrt with a sash around the waist, lifted up a little on one side in order to facUitate thefr walking ; whUe others wore a coarse garb, flo'W^ing from thefr shoulders to thefr feet, with a Cord around thefr loins. I soon learned that the fat, weU-fed, and well-dressed persons, with large shovel hats, were priests ; and that the persons KIRWAN's LETTERS. 75 Monks. Their dress. Vulgar appearance. without hats, wearing sandals and no stockings, and a kind of a shoe with no hind part to it, and which flap ped against the sole of the foot as they walked, were mohks and friars of various and varying orders. Of these persons I had often read, but now they were be fore me a living reaUty. The walk, the look, the whole appearance of the priests seemed to testify that they be longed to the better class of society ; and, as I was sub sequently informed, they were persons whose parents had purchased for them admission to the priesthood as the cheapest way of securing to them a competent sup port for life. But the monks and friars that were swarming every where bore the strongest evidence of a mean origin. Thefr low foreheads — thefr shaven pates —then- unwashed faces and uncombed hafr — thefr coarse and fUthy garments, and then- unwashed feet, bore evidence against them. Of these monks and friars there are many orders in Naples. Some you see with bags on thefr backs, and others with baskets in thefr hands, begging from door to door ; while others are confined to thefr rooms in then- houses, the volun tary subjects of rules and customs the most supersti tious and degrading. On the side of the hill which rises up in the midst of Naples, and which is surmount ed by a stiong fortification, is a monkish house. It is a very large establishment, making a hoUow square, with the grave-yard in the centre ; and each of the posts of the fence by which the grave-yard is inclosed is surmounted by a naked skull. These monks never speak, and never eat at the same table, save on the Sabbath! And these establishments you find every where in Italy. I visited one of their churches in 76 Preserved monk. Horrid burying-place. Rome, where I witnessed the most revolting sight I ever beheld. It is the Church of the Capuchins, where is the magnificent painting of the Archangel by Guido. In a glass case, under one of the side altars, is the body of a monk, laid out in his old robes, in a state of mi- j-acwfoMS preservation. Whether it was dried flesh or -wax I could not tell ; I suspected the latter. I asked the monk that attended on us why the flesh of this man was preserved, while that of others decayed. His reply was most ludicrous. Putting his hands together, and turning up his eyes, like a duck in a thunder storm, he answered, ." Because he was a good fellow." The burying-place of these monks is a horrible sight. It seems to have been gotten up to outrage all the feel ings of humanity. It is partly under the church, and is entered from the yard by a series of arches. The burial spot may be twenty or thfrty feet by seven or eight. The clay of this bed, I was told, was brought from Palestine. In this bed the monks are buried, where they lie untU the flesh falls fi-orn their bones. Then the bones are taken up, and some of them, after being jointed with wires into a perfect skeleton, are dressed up in their old garbs, and hung up around the place, while the skulls, the bones, and the ribs of others are wrought into fantastical arches and candle sticks, which every where cover the walls and meet the eye. Even Rome does not present a more revolting spectacle. And shreds from an old dfrty garment of that preserved monk, whose name was Crispini, are said to have wrought mfracles, and have been sold at exor bitant prices. And in this revolting den of superstition and indolence are one, hundred and fifteen of these dfrty kirwan's LETTERS. 77 A begging monk. An incident Nuns. Capuchins, who, judging from thefr appearance, stand far more in need of a thorough washing than they do of victuals or wine ! These monks, who spend thefr time between pray ing, begging, sleeping, and sinning, you meet every where. One of them was regularly stationed in the liaU of the Hotel d'Angleterre every morning to beg alms from the stiangers retiring fi-om the breakfast- room. My tiaveUng friend, who liked them about as much as I did, put his hand in his pocket one morning, as if hunting fbr a fr-anc for the shorn monk. Finger ing his pocket, he went up stafrs, and the monk after him, his eyes beaming with hope. At the top of the ffrst stafrs, he signified that he could not find any thing to give him. He stopped a little, but cast a longing, beg ging look after him. Again my friend commenced to finger his pockets, and, again flushed with hope, the monk renewed his pursuit. But, while ascending the next flight, the incorrigible Protestant came down upon the lazy rogue with a thundering rebuke, under which he went down stafrs at least as fast as he ascended them. And you, Sfr, must weU know how large a space in the history of Romanism is fUled by the rise and the progress, the confficts and the crimes, of the various classes and orders of monks and friars. It has also called into requisition female monks, caUed nuns, who have contiibuted not a little to the extending of its plans. The first of these persons I saw abroad was on a funeral occasion, in the Made leine, m Paris; The deceased was obviously very poor, and the priest in waiting mumbled a service over the 78 KIRWAN S LETTERS. Their appearance. Whence, and how made. coffin, so hurried and so heartless as to_ fill me with contempt for him. The nun, who, perhaps, was the nurse of the deceased, was there, and a more common or ugly woman no man might wish to see. There were three of them on the steamer frbm Lyons to Avig non, and, tn appearance and manners, they were the very ditto of her I saw in Paris. The great vulgarity of thefr appearance in Italy put to flight all the images of beauty, ahd delicacy, and modesty which I had ever associated with them ; nor could I account for what I observed untU my visit to the Catacombs at Naples. As you approach these subterranean graves, there are two large buildings on either hand ; that on the left is devoted to the care of poor old men, and that on the right to poor young gfrls, who are deserted by their parents, or " who had no parents," as said our valet. This buUding is capable of containing between one and two thousand gfrls, and is usually fuU ; and all of these are compelled to be nuns. The fact that they are taken from the very lowest walks of life accbunts for the commonness of thefr appearance ; and it is the same fact which accounts for the yet more common, and dfrty, and sensual appearance of most of the monks and friars that I saw abroad. Here and there a dis appointed maiden may flee to a nunnery to hide her blushes or her shame, and become a lady abbess ; or a greatly criminal noble may flee to a monastery to hide his crimes, and to play the gentleman fanatic among boors ; but, as a rule, monks, friars, and nuns are from the very sweepings of society, and ever have been. Italian nuns, as far as they came under my observa tion, needed not the walls of a nunnery to protect them KIRAVAN's LETTERS. 79 Celibacy not enjoined. Confraternities. from marriage, for I have seen many females far pret tier enjoy the benefits of single blessedness without any to disturb or to make them afraid. And such are the monks and friars that are shipped here in cargoes to civUize and to Christianize us ! But the question again arises. Whence these orders of monks and friars ? Whence these nuns of various names, and various colored vails ? There is nothing like them in the Old Testament — ^nothing certainly in the New. Celibacy is nowhere enjoined on man or woman, saint or sinner, in the Bible. Seclusion from the world, Uke that practiced in monasteries, is no where enjoined by the sacred books of our religion. When Paul speaks of persons wandering in deserts and in mountains, in dens and caves of the earth, he refers to those banished from thefr homes and friends by the ferocity of persecutors. Whence, then, these orders ? They are aU of Pagan origin. You, Sir, need not be told how orders of priests abounded among the Egyp tians and the Greeks, nor how they were copied by the Romans. The merest novice in mythology will re member the Pagan confraternities, to which Francis cans, Benedictines, Dominicans, and Jesuits so nearly correspond, and the Vestal Vfrgins, to which Popish nuns are so exact a counterpart. How exactly Homer and Plato painted the monks of La Trappe in thefr de scriptions of the priests of Dodonean Jove ! Anchorites, hermits, recluses, and monks existed in Asia long be fore the Christian era; and, at the present time, the countiies which profess the reUgion of Brama, Fo, Lama, and Mohammed, are fuU of fakfrs, and santons, toners, talapoins, bonzes, and dervises, whose fanatical 80 kirwan's LETTERS. Monks among Pagans. Their uses. and absurd penances are the arts of deception, and not the fruits of piety. And in some of the countiies of Asia at this hour you wUl find priests and monks un der the vows of ceUbacy without keeping them, with shorn heads, with and without turbans, and wearing peculiar robes tied about thefr loins, as thick as under the shadow of St. Elmo, or as on the banks of the Ti ber. But why these monks, and friars, and nuns ? Has the question ever occurred to you ? The bishops are generaUy engaged in the higher affafrs of the state or the Church ; the priests are saying masses in deserted churches, and faring sumptuously ; and the monks, and friars, and nuns, coUected from the common peo ple, and sympathizing with them, are abroad among them, as the curates or assistants of the priests and bishops, for the purpose of filling then- minds with fa bles, and keeping them in bondage. They are priest ly spies among the people, save those that go into se elusion ; and hence you find them begging for the peo ple, sitting with the people in the stieets, mingling with them in the market-places, lounging with the laz- aroni, and laughing with them, and aU for the purpose of doing the dfrty work of the priests, and filling thefr minds with superstitious legends. The object of im porting to our shores monks and nuns can not be mis taken ; and as soon as public sentiment wUl allow it, you wUl see these lazy and wicked wretches sticking their shorn heads into the cottages of the poor, to warn them against aU the elevating influences of Christian ity, and flouting thefr coarse robes in our thorough fares for the same purpose for which the Pharisees oi 'S LETTERS. 81 The curse of Papal nations. Deliverance prayed. old made broad thefr phylacteries. These monkish or ders were, and are, the cm-se of Pagan nations ; they wofuUy corrupted the Christian Church ; they were mainly the authors of the lying legends of the Dark Ages, which Papal priests are endorsing even in Amer ica ; they are now a grievous curse to the Papal na tions of the world. 0, Sfr, wiU you not join me in the prayer that they may never curse, either by thefr pres ence or thefr arts, our own happy, thrice happy coun try? With great respect, yours. D2 82 kirwan's letters. Letter &om Rome. J)omitian. LETTER X. Letter from Rome dated A.D. 90. — The Paganism of Rome then, the exact Picture of Papal Rome now My dear Sir, — That you and aU men may see at a glance the entire tiuth of the Paganism of Romanism, which I have already so fully proved and Ulustiated, wUl you permit me to go back to the year 90 of the Christian era, and, like my friend " Nicholas, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster," to address you a letter "out of the Flaminian Gate," describing the religion of Rome, both as to its priests and ceremonies, as then existing ? Rome, A.D. SOf Sir, — I have just reached this great city after a tedi ous voyage. I have spent several days in visiting the many temples here erected to the worship of the gods, and in inqufries as to the civil and social state of the people ; and I now proceed to detaU to you what I have seen and learned. Domitian has just brought to a close the Daoian war, having secured a peace on very humffiating terms. This, instead of humbling him, has greatly excited his turbulent passions, so that no man is now safe here, unless he would degrade liimself to flatter the tyrant and his tools. The phUosophers are expeUed, Chris tians are greatly persecuted, and are prohibited from 83 Awfiil tyranny. Immorality. Pagan priests. meeting for worship under the severest penalties ; and a widespread fear of the emperor is among aU the people. Rumors of conspfracies against his life are very frequent, and those who are suspected as enemies are crueUy torn from thefr famUies ; but what is done \\'ith them none even conjecture. The unseen hand of tyraimy is every where felt, and every person is in hourly dread of its chains or its daggers. But very few Christians are to be found here. They are compelled to worship in secret, where the eye of tyranny can not see them. The most frightful immo- raUties prevaU among the people, although the altars and images of the gods are every where to be seen, and although thefr temples are multiplied and gorgeous, and thefr worship is maintained with many and impo sing ceremonies. And what seems to me surpassing stiange is, that the more immoral the people, the more they are attached to thefr reUgious rites. There is here a wonderful array of Pagan priests, fiUing the temples, and to be met with in aU the stieets. These are frequently to be seen leading in processions in honor of the gods, which processions are calculated to please the people and render them superstitious. One of these I have just -witnessed. The magistrates in thefr robes were there ; the priests in thefr surplices were there ; -with wax candles in thefr hands, ahd car rying the images of the gods, ifriely dressed. These were foUowed by young men in white vestments, sing ing in honor of the god whose festival was celebrated ; and these, again, were followed by crowds of all kinds of people, with candles and flambeaux in their hands. The whole scene was very gorgeous, but very idola- 84 kirwan's letters. Pontifex Maximus. His honors and powerp. trous. The common people are said to be fond of these things, and they are multiplied by the priests on that account. The priests here are very numerous, and wield a vast power, I wUl, therefore, give you some account of them. The chief and head of them aU is caUed Pon tifex Maximus, or sovereign pontiff. This man is the visible head of their religion, and is the chief of a body of priests, which, in thefr coUective capacity, is called coUegium or coUege. This college is the final judge in aU oases relating to religious things ; and where there is no written law, they prescribe what they think proper. TMs coUege is a body of vast influence, and always sits in secret. When the pontiff dies, it elects a new one, and usuaUy from thefr own number. The Pontifex is almost worshiped as a god ; indeed, he is sometimes caUed god, although he only claims to be the vicegerent of Jupiter. ' He claims to exercise among men the authority of Jupiter — ^he lives in royal state — he levies taxes upon the inferior priests and upon the people, and he claims a respect from the people, which, to me, is just like adoration or worship. Men bow be fore him as he passes, and none can approach him -with out kissing his feet. He. is the infallible interpreter to whom the people resort ; and whUe he punishes others at discretion, he is not himself amenable to the judg ment of the senate or the people. All priests, and al most all things, are subject to him. He regulates the year and the pubUc calendar. He usuaUy -wears a gor geous robe bordered with purple, and a cap in the form of a cone, and holds a rod in his hand -wrapped round with wool. But you should come to Rome yourself to kirwan's letters. 85 other priests. Temples. understand the power of this man, and the splendor with which he appears in public, and in which he lives in private. In the train of the Pontifex Maximus there is always a numerous priesthood, divided into several classes. Some of these are called Augurs, sorne Q,uindecemvfri, some Septemvfri; these are the chief. But, besides these, there are fraternities of priests less considerable, though quite influential. These, in the language of this countiy, are caUed Fraties Ambervales, Curiones, Fe- ciales, Sodales. Besides these, there are priests of par ticular gods, as the priests of Jupiter, of Mars, of Pan, of Hercules, and of Cybele, the mother of the gods. There are also here women they caU Vfrgines Vestales, or Vestal Vfrgins, who are consecrated to the worship of Vesta, and who enjoy singular honor and privileges. These aU wear pecuUar garments, by which they are distinguished from one another and from all the people. Thefr dress tells who and what they are, wherever you meet them, and you meet them every where. And aU these priests have servants, who wait upon them when they are performing rites at the altars of the gods. The houses erected to the gods are many and beauti ful. These are caUed Templae, or temples. I have just returned from the Pantheon, where I witnessed a cere mony which I -wiU describe to you. As the morning here iS regarded as the most propitious part of the day, thefr great ceremonies are all ended before noon. The priest entered by a door, dressed in a white robe called alba, and ascended by a few steps to the altar. He wore, also, a tunic of various colors. His head was shaven,, which struck me as .singular, and he had upon 86Service in the Pantheon. Many gods. his breast a richly-decorated covering caUed a pectoral. He wore, also, a vaU. The -Whole dress stiuck me as very fanciful, nor could you conjecture, ^ave from his head and face, whether he was a man or a woman. When he had washed his hands, he marched round the altar, and, having made obeisance before it, he stood fronting the people. Lighted tapers covered the altar. The servants and inferior priests burned incense, whUe the priest made rnany prostiations. He always- spoke in Latin, which I do not sufficiently know fully to com prehend him. When the ceremony was ended, the god in whose hpnor it was performed was carefully locked in a Uttle box upon the altar, and then the priest dis missed the people with these words : " Missio est." And after being sprinkled by the inferiors with water mingled with salt, which is caUed " lustraUs aqua," or holy water, they left the temple, smUing and talking, and apparently gratified. And, v/ith little variation, this is a picture of what I have witnessed in' all the temples I have yet visited. The sacrffices, as I had supposed, did not always consist of slain animals ; sometimes nothing is offered but a little round wafer, which is called »iote, and the offering of which, as they declare, removes the sins of the people. This was in stituted by Numa, and is called " the unbloody sacri fice." Nothing here more sorrowfuUy impresses a tiue mind than thefr great multiplication of gods. They have twelve superior gods, with whose names you are famU iar ; and they have gods inferior, which they multiply without end. These latter are persons selected for di vine honors from the ranks of men, and whb, for their 87 Apotheosis. A middle state. virtues or merits, are placed among the gods. When the Collegium, of which I have afready spoken, has re solved to deify any person, they proclaim his apotheo sis, which proclamation places him among the gods. Immediately the ignorant people begin to pray to him, and to invoke his aid. Ffrst they make a god of him, and then they make him pay for the honor conferred ! From these smaU gods it is customary for classes and professions to select a patron. Musicians have select ed ApoUo ; saUors, Neptune ; farmers, Ceres ; soldiers. Mars ; cities, to-wns, and persons select thefr guardian gods. Rome has selected Jupiter Capitolinus, and Athens Minerva ; and faimUes have thefr gods in thefr houses, and individuals carry thefr pations in thefr pock ets. And to these gods they give the honor and pray er which are due only to the only tiue God. I saw a poor saUor, the other day, who had escaped dro-wning at Ostia, hang up his coat as a votive offering in the temple of Neptune, and prostiate hims,elf before his image as if it were our God ! I find also here a belief of a state somewhere be tween heU and the' Elysian fields, where the souls of the departed go which were not bad enough for hell nor good enough for heaven. I know not whether they borrowed this doctiine from VfrgU, who is here in great repute, and who teaches it ; or whether it was older than VfrgU. Probably he only embodied what was a popu lar superstition in his fine poem. But the use which the priests make of it has strongly impressed me with thefr want of honesty. They pretend to the power of abridging the awful sufferings of souls in this inter mediate place by prayers and sacrifices, and for which 88 4 wicked city. Wicked priests. they charge very high prices when the people are able to pay. In this way the Pagan priests here draw enormous revenues from the li-ving for the saving of the souls of the dead. They speculate on the sorrows of the ¦ Uving ; and from hearts broken by afflictions and trials they draw some of thefr chief revenues. But I may weary you with these detaUs which 1 make, and which you must read with sorrow. This is a wicked city, and its priests are the most wicked of its people. It is a most superstitious city. But the power of these Pagan priests is graduaUy giving way, and the influence of superstition over the people, is be coming less and less. The tiue Gospel of Jesus Christ is here as a leaven — ^may it leaven the mass. It is the only remedy for the sins and foUies of this great but . wicked people. Very tiuly your friend. Now, Sfr, if you wiU turn to the history of Rome at the date of this letter ; if you -will turn to any writer on Roman Antiquities ; if you wUl read Adams on the ReUgion of the Romans, commencing with page 234 of the New York edition of 1826, the one now before me, you wUl find that I have given you an exact ac count, as far as such an account can be drawn from his tory, of tiie priests and ceremonies of Paganism, as far as, I have gone, and at the time selected. Were it necessary to go further into the conduct of the priests, and the manner and character of thefr ceremonies, I could have brought out other things that would equal ly astonish you. And now. Sir, I would seriously ask you what is the difference between Pagan Rome in the kirwan's letter t<. 89 Rome in the, year 90 — Rome in 1853. year 90 of the Christian era, and Papal Rome in the year 1852 ? I assure you. Sir, I can see but little. The Pontifex Maximus you have m the Pope ; the Col legium in the sacred coUege of cardinals ; the priests of various classes you have in the varying classes of the monks and nuns ; the multiplication of demigods you have in the canonization of the saints ; the cere monies described in the Pantheon you have there at this very hour, almost unchanged ; the wafer called the " mola" you have in the " unbloody sacrifice of the ¦mass ;" the intermediate state between HeU and Elys ium, as sung by VfrgU, you have in Purgatory ; and the cruelty of Domitian and his tools, and thefr perse cution of the Christians, you have in the infamons, de testable conduct of Pius IX. and his cardinals ; and so on to the end of the chapter. Popery, therefore, is Ut tle else than Paganism extended. AH unbiased minds on earth, capable of forming an opinion on the subject, must admit this, especiaUy if they visit Rome, and examine the subject, as I have done, in what were once Pagan, and now are Papal temples. And here, Sfr, you have one of my chief reasons for addressing these letters to you. A man high in char acter, station, inteUigence, and influence, you are claimed as a Romanist by Papal priests. Whatever may be your private views, you would prefer the name of Christian to Pagan ; whUe a thorough Papist, can you be less than Pagan ? And, as the able and tried friend of your countiy and its institutions, would you not prefer that it and they should be under the mold ing influence of the religion of Jesus Christ, rather than under that of the old Pontifex Maximus of the Seven 90 Kirwan's letters. The Bible to be "preferred to SybiUine leayes. Hills ? Is not the Bible a better book for our people than the tiaditions of the Sybils, doubtfully or dogmat ically interpreted from Papal altars ? Are not rninis- ters of Christ better teachers of the people than the commissioned spies of the holy college of cardinals — than the lineal successors of the augurs, the curiones, the sodales, the Virgines Vestales of the days of Domi tian ? Are you doing your duty to your noble coun try, the hope of the aspfrants of true liberty in aU the earth, by gi^ving even the approbation of your silence to the efforts of priests from Ireland, Austiia, and Italy, to tiansplant to our shores nominally Popish, but really Pagan institutions, whose very best influences have been always adverse to the highest interests of human ity ? Honor yourself and your posterity, and bless your countiy, by a -wise and powerful effort, such as you can put forth, to prevent Papal priests from Pa ganizing our country. With great respect, yours. kirwan's letters. 91 Catacombs at Naples. Altar. St Januarius. LETTER XL Sham Miracles. — Altar iu the Catacombs. — St. Januarius — the Lique faction of his Blood. — A terrible Incident for the Priests. — Ara Cceli. — Bambino. — A Scene. — History of Bambino. — Its wonderful Powers. My dear Sir, — Ha-ving, as I ti-ust, satisfied you, and aU my readers, that Popery, in its forms, ceremonies, and external arrangements, is nothing but the Pagan ism of the old Roman state, which Christianity found there on its first introduction into our world, permit me to proceed to the consideration of some other topics. On entering the Catacombs at Naples, the first thing that stiikes you, so as to attract attention, is a rude Papal altar, covered with aU the insignia of Romanism. You ask. Why is it there buried under a high mount ain, and shut out from aU save those visiting this won derful receptacle of the dead of the heroic ages of Italy ? The reply is, that " it marks the spot where the bones of the far-famed St. Januarius were found." " How long did they remain here," said I to our guide, "be fore discovered?" "About three hundred years," he replied. " But how teU, at that distance of time, whose bones they were?" "By mfracle," he replied. Of course, I could say no more. In the cathedral church of the city, dedicated to this saint, is a beautiful chapel, where are two vials of his blood ; I was shown the case in which they were locked up ; but my eyes were unworthy of seeing them. " How," said I to the guide. 92 — ^^, — ^ Lrque&ctlon. Dead head. Alban Butlen "could they get this blood, when it was not known where his body was for three hundred years ?" " By mfracle," was again the reply. " When, and how is it," I asked, " that this blood liquefies ?" " In Septem ber, May, and December," he replied, "and at other times when the bishops pray. And the blood melts when the saint's head looks at it." " But the head is dead — ^how can it look ?" " By mfracle," was the re ply. "But how does the look of the head melt the blood ?" " By miracle," was the answer. And, egre- giously absurd as the whole thing is, it is by these sham mfracles that Romish priests, in all lands where belief in them is the vulgar faith, seek to retain thefr ascend ency over a deluded people. And in aU this they prove themselves to be the worthy and true successors of the Pagan priests, who sought by prodigies and omens to excite and strengthen the vulgar belief. Let me place some of these mfracles before you. There, ih two old vials, is the fabled blood of St. Januarius. On the set time, these vials are brought out by a, priest ; and' the head, which was cut off about the year 306, and which must have been often renewed in nearly sixteen hundred years, is brought, out and placed near them. The blood melts at the sight of the head. The Rev. Alban Butler, a most erudite scholar in lying wonders, teUs us, " that when the blood is brought within sight of the head, though at a consid erable distance, it melts, bubbles up, and, upon the least motion, flows on all sides."- Then a boy holds up a lamp behind the -vial to make the Uquefaction -visible. Then the faitiiful, usuaUy composed of beggars, press toward the altar, when a priest touches their forehead kirwan's letters. 93 The farce. Vesuvius put out A good story. and lips with the wonderful vials. When persons in a clerical dress approach, which is rarely the case, it is touched to then" forehead, lips, and bosom ; and surely, like the soothsayers of old, they must laugh when they look each other in the face. It would seem to me that the man who left the company of waiters upon the priests, who were saying high mass for the purpose of showing us the wonders of the church, was laughing in his sleeve at our apparent credulity as, he was de scribing to us the mfracle- working relics. And that mfracle of stupid credulity, Rev. Alban Butler, tells us, with aU seriousness, that in 1707, the shrine of St.^ Januarius, carried in solemn procession, extinguished a fiery eruption of Mount Vesuvius ! Indeed, he at tributes the preservation of Naples from being buried, Uke PompeU, in the lava of its neighboring volcano, to its possession of the head, and blood, and bones of this old saint, whose holy history is a monkish fable. A less credulous person might ask, how Vesuvius could send its lava to Naples, without first making a bridge across the bay ? The foUowing story, often pubUshed to the confusion of the priests, was confirmed to me in Naples, and by a Neapolitan, who, although avowing himself a Cath oUc, loved the priests just as much as if he were an American. When the French, in the days of Napoleon, occupied that countiy, the blood of St. Januarius refused to liquefy, as a token of his vast displeasure with the people for permitting the Franks to abide there. The awful news was spread in whispers from the confes sionals through the city. The people, especially the Lazzaroni, were determined on another "SicUian Ves- 94 LETTERS. The eiBect of cannon. Church of Ara Cceli. pers," and on the procession of the vials, which usu ally caUs out the entfre populace. The French com mander was informed of aU the plot. The day arrived. High mass was said. The old head of the saint was brought within- sight of the old vials, but the blood re fused to liquefy ! A low murmur passed, through aU the streets. Two cannons were wheeled in a moment before the chureh, and other cannon were at the corners of the streets, ready to sweep them in an instant. Or ders were sent to the priests in rnanagement of the jug gle, that unless the blood liquefied in ten minutes, the ^^church and city would be ffred. In five minutes the saint changed his mind ; he became alarmed, fearing the effects of a lighted match when placed in contact with gunpowder. The blood boiled up, and aU the peo ple rejoiced tog'ether. And the priests yet delude the people with this contemptible farce ! The priests that performed Pagan ceremonies in the temple of Castor and Pollux would have given up this bungling fraud long ago. You have no doubt heard of, if you have not seen, the church of Ara Cceli at Rome. It is a very ugly, barn-looking affafr on the Capitoline Hill, and on the very spot, it is said, where stood the temple of Jupiter CapitoUnus. It is in the possession of the Franciscan friars, a brotherhood, as I can testify, that Stand sadly tn need of washing. This church is less famed for its fine frescoes iUustrating the life of St. Bernard, by Pin- turricchio, than for its wonderful figure of the infant Savior, the " Sanctissimo Bambino," whose power in curing the sick has given it a world-wide popularity, and which receives more fees than any three physicians kirwan's letters. 96 The Bambino. Its dress. HeaUng process. in Rome. '¦'¦ Ba-mbino" is the Italian word for child ; and this image is caUed II Bambino — The Child, to mark its superiority to aU others. The bare-headed monks, either bowing profoundly to the earth, or pious ly turning up thefr faces to heaven, caU it "II Sanctis- sfrho Bambino." I have seen this wonderful image, and yet I Uve ! It is a wooden doll about two feet lohg, and not unlike, in form, to the Dutch doUs which are often given among us as a hoUday present to chUdren. It is -wrapped in swaddling clothes after the custom of the Italians, so as to cover it aU save its head and its feet. On its head is a royal cr^-wn, sparkling -with brUUants ; and from its head to its feet, it is covered with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. This is the favorite divinity of the low er classes of the Romans, almost casting into the shade that of Mary herself ! As the good fortune which always attended me would have it, I entered the Uttle chapel where this image is kept in state, just in time to see his little reverence go through a healing process. A monk opened for us the main door, and showed us into a small room, whence we were sho-wn by another monk into the wonderful chapel. There were there, kneeling before the altar, three poor women with a sick chUd. The priest who acted in the affafr was going through some ceremony before the altar. Soon he turned to the right, and with a solemnity which, because feigned, was laughable, opened a little cradle in which lay the glittering doll. He prayed over it ; and then, taking it in his hands as if unworthy to touch it, placed it in an upright posi tion on the altar. Here he prayed over it again. , Ht 96 kirwan's letters. The ceremony. Its miracles. • History. then took it in his hands, and touched, -with its toe, the head of the sick chUd, and crossed it with it. He then put its toe to the lips of the child, which was made tb kiss it. And then each of the women, who were aU the while upon thefr knees, kissed its foot. After a Ut tle more ceremony. Bambino was put back in his beau tiful cradle, and the women withdrew. When the chapel was empty of Italians, we were in-vited inside by the priest. We were taken up to the cradle. He told us of the immense value of the jewels, many of them the gifts of kings ; of the many mfracles wrought by Bambino ; and pointed to the many sUver and gold hearts by which it was surrounded, in evidence. He gave us some items of its history, which were very rich. The cradle Ues under a canopy ; at one end of it is Joseph ; at the other, the Vfrgin Mary ; and over it is an image of God the Father ! The priest was poUte, Communicative, but grossly ignorant. We paid him a few pauls, and retfred, wondering more, and more, and more at the shameless, lying wonders of Popery ; at the folly and wickedness of its priests ; and at the stupid ity of its people. As the Bambino is among the most wonderful things at Rome, and is worth more than a mine of gold to the dirty monks of Ara CceU, I will give you some account of it, as quoted from its authentic history, published with the permission of the Pope and cardinals, and for the edffication of the faithful ! It was carved in Jerusalem, by a monk of St. Fran cis, from a tree of olive, which grew hear to the Mount of Olives. The good monk was in want of paint, and could find none. By prayer and fasting he sought paint KIRWAN's- letters. 97 Miraculous paint. Saved from drowning. Its powers. from heaven. On a certain day he feU asleep, and lo ! when he awoke, the little doll was perfectly painted, the wood looking just lUce flesh ! The fame of this prodigy spread aU over the countiy, and was the means of the conversion of many infidels. It was made for Rome, and the maker embarked with it for Italy. But the ship was -wrecked ; and when all gave up the holy image as lost, lo ! the case in which it was, suddenly and mfraculously appeared at Leghorn ! This wonder fully increased its fame and the veneration of the peo ple. Thence it was soon transported to Rome ; and when first exposed to the devout gaze of believers on the Capitoline HUl, thefr shouts of joy and thefr clam orous haUelujahs ascended to the stars ! On a certain 'occasion, it is. said that a devout lady took away with her the pretty doU to her o-wn house; but, in a few days, he mfraculously retumed to his own little chap el, ringing aU the beUs of the convents as he passed ! The beUs assembled aU the monks, and as they pressed into the church, behold, to then- infinite joy. Bambino was seated on the altar! Did you ever hear of such a wonderful doU ? But this is not aU. It is the universal belief among the lower classes of the Romans, that the laying of this doll at the foot of tiie bed of a woman in chUd-bfrth insures a safe deUverance ! It is also the universal be lief that this doU, by a change of its countenance, by becoming pale or flushed, infaUibly indicates whether a sick person wiU live or die ! And when doctors fail, the aid of Bambino is invoked for the recovery of the sick. It -visits the sick in a splendid coach, and is at tended by priests in fuU canonicals. As it passes along B 98 kirwan's letters. Its worship. _ A- shameless fraud. ^¦ through the stieets, every head is uncovered, and, how ever muddy may be the stieets, the poor are on their knees for its worship. For these visitations, the monks, who have the doll in keeping, charge the most enor mous prices. During my sojourn in Rome, it was sent for to the Vatican for the healing of somebody sick in the palace of the Pope ! And this mfraculous image is exposed tp pubUc veneration and adoration in a scenic representation of the stable at Bethlehem, from the 25th of December to the 56th of January of each year, dur ing which time tens of thousands of people crowd the Ara Cceli and the Capitoline Hill for the purposes of its worship ! Now, Sfr, here is a shameless imposture, palmed off upon an ignorant people by impious priests and monks.* Nor is this thing done in a corner. This outrageous fi-aud is not perpetrated in Connaught, nor in Mexico, nor in Austria, nor do'wn in deeply-degraded SicUy, but ' in Rome — on the Capitoline HUl — and under the eye, and by -the sanction of Pio Nono and his cardinals ! What epithets or adjectives does our language supply sufficiently stiong to express our abhorrence of the enor mous wickedness of Pope, cardinals, and priests, who would thus delude and degrade an ignorant and con fiding people ! And yet. Sir, the priests of Romanism, steeped in these vile, lying superstitions and wonders, eome over here to tell us in America that there is no salvation for us so long as we refuse to submit our hecks to the yoke of this Pope and his cardinals ! And wiU you, Sfr — ^wiU any American citizen, in any form, give thefr countenance to the shavbn-pated mis sionaries of such mfraculous nonsense ? With great respect, yours. kirwan's letters. 99 Other sham miracles. Holy House of Loretto. LETTER XIL Sham Miracles. — Holy House of Loi-etto — its History — Flight — Dimen sions. — Miracles. — Litany of our Lady of Loretto. — Perpetrators of such Frauds, Impostors. My dear Sir, — I am not yet through with the sham mfracles of Romanism, gotten up, and shamelessly ad vocated, even in our day, for the purpose of maintain ing the terrible, the grinding influence of a wicked priesthood over an ignorant, deluded, and confiding people. Bad as is the bungle about St. Januarius, and base as is the conduct of th6 dfrty Franciscans with the bandaged Bambino, there are other things of the same kind, if possible, worse than these. Have you, Sfr, ever heard of the once "Very Rev. P. R. Kenrick, V. G.," and now the Right Rev. Bishop Kenrick? He figures not a little among the Romish priests of this happy country. I have before me his wonderfiil work entitled " The Holy House of Loretto." It is pubUshed by Cummiskey, of PhUadelphia. The title-page is without date — so is the preface ; but the copy-right of it was secured by the publisher in the year 1841. And if you have any desfre to see the mis erable legends which these imported priests publish for the edffication of the faithfiU, just glance at this won derful book — I wiU not ask you to read its drivel. The authorship of such pages would subject any man, save a priest, to the charge or the suspicion of lunacy. But the world has become so accustomed to the lying won- 100 kirwan's letters. Its history. . Flight to Dalmatia. The Virgin. ders of priests^ and knows so weU the objects for which they are put forward, that now they excite little more than a smUe of contempt. This veracious book of the "Very Rev." and vera cious " P. R. Kenrick, V. G.," proves to the satisfaction of all the credulous that the house in which the Sa-vior was born became early an object of deep veneration ; that Helena found it at Nazareth about three hundred years after the incarnation ; that it was carried by an gels through the afr in May, 1291, and laid down by them upon a little-eminence in Dalmatia, where it at- tiacted wonderful attention, and performed wonderful miracles of- healing ; that when doubts arose as to its character, "^the blessed Vfrgin, surrounded by angeUc spfrits," appeared to Alexander, then priest of a church near by, and sick of a violent fever, and informed him that in that house she was born, lived, received the message of Gabriel, and conceived the Son of God. This vision appeared to Alexander " between sleeping and waking," and when he had a -violent fever. These, you know, are cfrcumstances under which many be sides "this respectable ecclesiastic" have stiange vis ions. She moreover told him that the aposties had con verted this house into a church ; that Peter had con secrated its altar ; that, because insulted in Nazareth by infidels, and neglected by Christians, it was carried over by angels to Dalmatia ; and that, as a mfraculous proof of aU this, his health should be immediately re stored. "On awaking, Alexander found himself im mediately restored to health ;" and his story was told and beUeved, and was proved true by the mfracle of his restoration ! kirwan's letters. 101 Flight to Lauretum. Walks off to a hill. But the story is not ended. The Dalmatians were not long to enjoy this heaveiUy gift of an old house. For sorne cause, not discovered by the profound research es of the "Very Rev. P. R. Kem-ick, V. G.," the house resolved to take another journey ! So, on the night of the 10th of December, 1294, some shepherds, who were watching thefr flocks, beheld a house, surrounded by uncommon splendor, flying across the Adriatic, which separates Dalmatia fi-om Italy. The shepherds waked up thefr companions to see the "mysterious object," and they aU testffied that "it was of a supernatural character." It pleased "the holy house" to rest in a distiict called Lauretum, either from its laurels, or from the name of the rich lady, Laureta, to whom it belong ed ;. and hence the name, "the House of Loretto," which it retains even to this day ! Soon it became very fa mous in its new location, and tens of thousands flock ed to it for devotion and healing ! But the restless little house was not yet satisfied. The faithful, who sought to present, under its holy roof, thefr offerings to the Vfrgin, were often robbed by ban dits. This greatly diminished the number of pUgrims, and, of course, the revenue of the priests. To remedy this e-vU, it walked off to a small hUl near the road, where the faithful might approach it without fear of robbery. This new mfracle greatly increased the pub Uc reverence for it, and the revenue. This hiU was the joint property of two brothers, who quarreled about the rent they were to receive, when, in the language of "the Very Rev. P. R. Kemick, V. G.," "most extraordinary to relate, this mfraculous house was once more transfer red, and placed in its present site, a very short distance 102 kirwan's letters. Gregory andthe rock. Its dimensions. Image-of Maiy. beyond the property of the unworthy brothers." And there it remains '^ to this present." And to prove that aU this is by no means incredible, he refers us, among other e-vidences, to the removaLof a huge rock at the command of St. Gregory, as narrated by Alban Butler ! ! Now, Sfr; I submit it to you, wliether a priest who can ¦write a narrative like this, in our age and country, is not entitled to wear a paUium made from the wool of holy sheep,- or from the do-wn of a goose? _ This holy house, that can thus fly or walk at pleas ure, is about thirty-two feet long, thirteen feet wide, and eighteen feet high, with a chimney and small bel fry^ The waUs are of stone. There is in it a smaU altar, the one dedicated by Peter ; and on it is an an tique -wooden cross. On the right of the altar is an image of the Vfrgin Mary, with the infant on her arm, ¦with the hafr of each di-vided after the manner of the people of Nazareth. This image is surrounded with gold lamps, by whose constant glare and dazzle it is somewhat concealed. The Vfrgin and Son are most gbrgeously decorated, and are brUUant with precious stones.. This holy image was carried to France in 1796, but it was brought back with pious pomp ; and, wel comed by the discharge of. cannon and the ringing of bells, it was borne to the holy house on a rich frame, carried by eight bishops, on the 5th day of January, 1803. And the mfracles -wrought by this holy house are numerous and wonderful. It is hung round by " the votive offerings in gold, silver, wax, and other mate rials," presented by those on whom mfracles were per formed. Pietio Barbo was there mfraculously healed, lOS Barbo healed. Holy porringer, Holy mouse. and was informed by the Virgin that he would be elect ed Pope ! He was so elected, and assumed the name of Paul n. He issued a buU, dated November 1, 1464, in which he speaks of " the great ivonders and infinite miracles" wrought by means of the Holy Vfrgin in this house. This house has been the pet of many a Pope, who have expended tieasures upon it ! And there it stands at the present hour, " the most celebrated sanc tuary in Italy" — hung round by votive offerings- of great value — -visited by pUgrims from all parts of the world — ^ahd vvith a regular establishment of priests, sustain ed at an enormous annual expense, mainly coUected from the beggar pUgrims. There also is the " holy por ringer," in which pap was made for the infant Savior, and which imparts wonderful sanctity to every thing that is put into it ! A small stone from this house has been sold for many dollars ; and it is said that a poor little mouse caught there was preserved with great art- istical skiU, and was an effectual preservative against diseases ! ! Now, Sfr, permit me to ask you whether imported priests, one of whose bishops could -write such a book as the " Holy House of Loretto," in -which such ridic ulous fables are gravely detailed for the edification of the faithful,' are the men to whom the formation of the religious sentiment and the conscience of our country should be committed ? When our people can believe such drivel, where -wUl they be in the scale of civUi zation ? Where wUl be the greatness and the glory of the countiy of Washington ? But as to this "Holy House of Loretto," there is a depth below any to which we have yet attained by the 104 KIRWAN- S ^.ETTERS. Miracxilous picture. Its colpr. Exact likeness aid of the "Very Rev. P. R. Kenrick, V. G." I would gladly omit reference to it, because of its blasphemous superstition, and because of my reluctance to refer to a man who is daUy proving himself more and more to be unworthy of confidence, and who is fast sinking to his true level in the estimation of Papist and Protestant ; but it seems necessary to the completion of my picture of this " Holy House." In this flying house is an im age of the Vfrgin, with the infant Sa-vior in her arms. It is grown black with age ; nor can you tell whether the person of whorn it is an exact picture was black or white. Now, Sfr, conceive of one of your own daugh ters prostiate on her knees before that old carved im age, very far from being fashioned after a beautiful model, and with a Missal in her hand, praying to it, in a most devout manner, the following prayer : " We fly to thy patronage, 0 Holy Mother of God ; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver s from all dangers, O ever-glorious and blessed Vfrgin. Holy Mary, Holy Mother of God, Holy Vfrgin of Vfrgins ,- Mother of Christ, Mother of divine grace. Mother most pure. Mother most chaste. Mother undefUed, Mother untouched, ; Mother most amiable. Mother most admfr able. Mother of our Creator, Mother- of our Redeemer, i-d KLRWAN'S LETTERS. 105 Litany of our Lady of Loretto. P Virgin most prudent, Vfr-gin most venerable, Vfrgin most reno-wned, Vfrgin most powerful. Virgin most merciful, Vfrgin most faithful. Mirror of Justice, Seat of Wisdom, Cause of our Joy, Spfritual Vessel, Vessel of Honor, Vessel of singular Devotion, Mystical Rose, Tower of Da-vid, Tower of Ivory, House of Gold, Ark of the Covenant Gate of Heaven, Morning Star, Health of the Weak, Refuge of Sinners, Comforter of the Afflicted, Help of Christians, Q,ueen of Angels, Q,ueen of Patiiarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of Confessors, Queen of Vfrgins, • Queen of all Saints, " We fly to thy pationage, 0 Holy Mother of God, B 2 106 Garden of the soul. Aconception. Some-questions. despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, 0 ever-glorious and blessed Vfrgin. " Pray for us, 0 holy Mother of God. " That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ." ^ ' ^ This, Sfr, is extracted- fi-om a book now before me, caUed " The Garden of the Soul, a Manual of Fervent Prayers, Pious Reflections, and Solid Instructions, cal culated to answer the use of the members of aU ranks and conditions of the Roman CathoUc Church, etc. By. the Right Rev. Dr. England, late Bishop of Charles ton, with the approbation of the Right Rev. Dr. Hughes, Bishop of Ne-w York." And the above extiact is from " The Litany of Our Lady of Loretto." Again I say, conceive of one of your o-wn daughters praying this prayer from the Garden of the Soulj prostrate on her knees before that black statue of Mary. Does not your heart revolt from the thought ? Would you not as soon see her bowing in a heathen temple, before a heathen idol ? Wherein would be the practical difference ? Would you not feel humbled at being the father of a chUd that could be reduced to the performance of such a miserably superstitious and vainly repetitious service by the arts of priests ? And what would be your feel ings of indigna,tion toward a priesthood that could thus humble you by degrading your chUd ? And it is to this low level that Romish priests, with aU thefr appli ances, and aU thefr " deoeivableness of unrightebus- riess," are seeking to reduce the youth of this land. One bishop -writes the History of the Holy House — an other bishop writes, or translates, the Litany of Our Lady of Loretto — and John Hughes, Bishop of New LETTERS. 107 Imposture. How to be treated. A wish. York, approves the whole ! Have you, Sfr, any lan guage by which to denounce the whole imposture as it •deserves ? I have none, and will not, therefore, under take it. But the men in clerical garb who could coun tenance such fraud and superstition, should be esteemed and tieated as we do the priests of Juggernaut, or the veriest impostors that live by defrauding the commu nity. Such vUe frauds, practiced by its priests, should sink Romanism as -with the weight of a thousand miU- stones to the bottom of the ocean. Poor Dr. England has gone to the grave. Peace to his ashes. But Bishop Kenrick and Bishop Hughes are yet alive ; and the greatest harm I wish them is, that when the "Holy House" resolves on another flight across the Adriatic to Dalmatia, they may~ be in it as passengers. Judging from thefr books, they will not add materially to its weight, nor wUl they be any loss to our country. In thefr flight they may responsively repeat the " Litany of Oiir Lady of Loretto." With great respect, yours. 108 KIRWAN^S LETTERS. More sham miracles. Their absurdity. St. Anthony. LETTER XIIL Sham Miracles. — St. Anthony of Padua. — The Virgin of Modena. — Blood of Thomas i Becket. — Miracles of St. Patrick. — Miracles at Downpatrick.: — St. Dagland's Grave. — The Boy exorcised. — Xavier's Miracles.— The wonderful Crab. — Priests not to be trusted. My dear Sir,: — I am not yet through -with the sham mfracles of Romanism. You know the Romish Church claims the power of working mfracles ; and the abso lute working of mfracles is put forth as an incontio- vertible e-vidence of its being the only tiue Church. And to sustain the monstious claim, no persons, save those who have waded through thefr lying legends, can have any conception of the stupendous absurdity of the mfracles that are adduced. . And if those afready ad duced—the blood of Januarius — ^Bambino — ^the Holy House of Loretto — ^pationized by popes, cardinals, bish ops, kings, and nobles, and in the face of the world are so unspeakably absurd, how absurd must be those less er mfracles, palmed by wily priests oh the lower classes of the people, and in the dark corners of the earth, where detection is not apprehended from the peering scrutiny of Protestant eyes ! Let me state to you some of these. St, Anthony of Padua was a giant in his day. But ler gives an abstract of his life, which has been the theme of more thgjn one credulous biographer. He was a man of eloquence ; and, while the rest of his body kirwan's LETTERS. 109 His tongue. A miracle. Mary of Modena. has returned to dust, his tongue was found, thfrty-two years after his death, fresh, red, and incorrupt as when he was Uvfrig, and is now kept in a most costly case in his church at Padua ! An unbeliever said one day, ^' If this glass does not break on dashing it against that stone, I wUl beUeve in Saint Anthony." He dashed it do-wn, and it did not break ! The miracle was so ob- ¦vious that he immediately beUeved! Another infidel said he would believe if the dry slips of vines he held in one hand would bear grapes enough to fill the cup which he held in the other. Immediately Saint An thony caused the dry -vines to bear grapes ; they ri* pened in an instant, and produced as much juiCe as -was requfred, and of the most deUcious kind ! This infidel becarhe a most devout foUower of the saint. And Ity narratives of mfracles as contemptible -as these, the monkish Ufe of this saint is fUied ! Amid the Alps in Sa-voy, and near to the to-wn of Mo dena, there is an image of the Virgin that works many mfracles, but nearly aU of the same kind. It restores, on thefr presentation, dead-born chUdren to life, just long enough to receive baptism, when they again ex- pfre ! And there is abundant testimony to prove that such chUdren, when presented to this image, open thefr eyes, stietch out thefr hands, and even sortietimes make water ! But when baptized, aU signs of Ufe pass away ! What an image I Who has not heard of St. Thomas a Becket ? He was for ages the great Thaumaturgus of England, and ¦wrought more mfracles than did the Sa-vior and all his apostles. His -blood, on his being put to death, was carefully coUected, and possessed astonishing efficacy. 110 kirwan's let^ters. Thomas & Becket- Miracles hy iiis blood. It cured aU diseases, and even restored the dead to life ! When the blood was found insufficient for the demands of the faithful, it was mixed with water ; and the least drop of water, if only tuiged with the blood, possessed a healing efficacy. And water thus tinged with the blood of the rebel was sent out into all parts of the Christian world as an infaUible cure for aU kinds of diseases ! You fuU weU know, Sfr, what mfracles of wickedness this Thomas of Canterbury committed whUe Uving, who -wrought such mfracles of power aft er he was dead ! But wC hear Uttle of him of late ! Might not a revival of mfracles at his shrine now great ly aid Nicholas Wiseman in subduing the fron obstina cy of the EngUsh -mind in its resistance to the blessings of Romanism ? Might not that remarkably acute and veracious historian, the "Very Reverend P. R. Ken rick, V. G.," in the exercise of his -wonderful gifts as an antiquarian, bring something to light concerning Beck et which, at this jimctUre, might have an effect of re- ¦vi-ving the faith which in our land is so sorrowfiUly on the wane ? Such a work, especially if published with the approbation of the " Right Reverend Dr. Hughes," might have a most happy efTect in arresting the stiearh of converts from Romanism to Christianity. The Jrish, although a noble people in many -respects, are peculiarly credulous and superstitious. The lower classes are generally Papists, and are exceedingly ig norant; and thefr faith ih thefr priests, untU within a few years, was unbounded. Hence sham mfracles have been -wrought there in ^eater numbers than, per haps, in Italy itself. Jocelin's Life of Saint Patiick is now before me, as printed in Dublin in 1809, and ih a kirwan's letters. Ill Jocelin*a St Patrick. His many miracles. cheap form for extensive cfrculation. It contains little more -than a detaU of the mfr-acles he -wrought, some of which are of the most astounding character. Here are a few of them. Gormas was born blind. He was informed, in vision, that if he would, with the hand of the boy Patiick just baptized, make a cross on the ground, a spring of water would rise on the spot, in which, if he would bathe his eyes, he would immedi ately see. He did as he was advised, and immediately saw! And the spring is there to this day ! But which one of many springs it is, none can tell. Patiick went out to play on a cold day, and brought home some pieces of ice and cast them down. His nurse told him, chidingly, that he ought to have brought home some dry wood for fire. He took "the pieces of ice, and, putting them together, prayed over them, and soon the ice was in al)laze ! Of course, the nurse was astonished, as she was in duty bound to be. Who would not be ? As he was playing one day, instead of minding his flock of sheep, a wolf carried off one of the lambs. In the evening he was scolded for his sloth and careless ness. But he bore aU- patiently, and poured out his prayers for the restoration of the lamb. On the next morning, when he led the flock to pasture, the roguish wolf returned with the lamb in its mouth, and laid it at the feet of Patiick, and then fled to the woods ! Patiick feU into the hands of strangers, who sold him to a certain man for a kettle! "How small a pur chase for so precious a merchandise," exclaims Jocelyn. But the kettle would not boU when hung over the ffre — ^the hotter the fire, the colder was the water in the 112 kirwan's letters. A wonder^l kettle. A stone altar sailiDg. Foylge. kettle, untu, in the midst of the flames, the water be came ice ! The kettle was returned, and Patrick was taken back, when the kettle boUed as usual, and the saint was set at Uberty ! When Patiick was returning from Rome, where he was made a bishop, as he was about embarkmg at a British port for Ireland, a leper besought him to take him with him. He consented, but the saUors refused. So, casting into the sea " an altar of stone, that had been consecrated and given to him by the Pope," he ordered the leper to sit on it. And the stone saUed over the Channel as fast as the ship, and got into port with its passenger in perfect safety ! Rius was a very old man and a very great sinner. He promised Saint Patrick if he would restore him to the bloom, the freshness, and the joy of youth, that he would become a Christian. He prayed over him, and made the sign of the cross upon him, and he was re stored to " beautiful youth," when he became a Chris tian, A very -wicked man, named Foylge, one day kUled the coachman of Patrick. The saint stiuck him dead by a word, and his soul went to hell. . But the devU entered into the body of Foylge, and it walked about. In a few days the saint was passing a house where the souUess body of Foylge was : he ordered the devil to depart from it, when the body feU down, alive with worms ! It was immediately buried, as neither its sight or smelfcould be endured. And with such sUly fables as these a book of nearly three hundred pages is fUled ! And although the trans lator wUl not vouch for the entfre truth of all these kirwan's letters. 118 Priests a curse. Scenes at Downpatrick. St. Dagland. mfracles, and the priests may deny its authority, yet it is abroad among the people, and its narratives are beUeved by multitudes. Nor do I see any thing in the book any more incredible or ridiculous than the lying wonders' of the Bambino of Ara Cceli, or of the Holy Hbuse of Loretto, which are at this hour encouraged by the entfre Papal com-t, and drawing vast revenues from every part of the Papal world. Can a priesthood which can palm such sublimated nonsense upon any people, have any object in view but then- degradation ? Can they be otherwise than a curse to them ? Can such priests be a blessing to America ? But Jocelin's book is not authentic — its mfracles are not articles of faith! Here is the door of escape for the priests. Why, then, not denounce it ? Why do priests aid in its cfrculation, whUe they make- bonffres of the Bible? And why permit things as bad, if not worse than any thing narrated in it, to be practiced under thefr eyes ? The grave of St. Patrick is said to be at Do-wnpatiick, in the county Down, in Ireland. There also are the holy wells of purification. On Mid summer eve of each year, the people resortto the grave, and fUl thefr ears with its clay, and then rush to the weUs, there to bathe, for the purposes of healing from aU thefr maladies. And men and women, in perfect nudity, rush into the healing waters together ! And priests are present to hear confessions, and to receive thefr pennies from the beggar pilgrims to these holy places ! Is any thing in Jocelin worse than this ? The grave of St. Dagland is in Waterford. His stone coffin is fiUed with bones every year by mfracle. On the 28th of June of each year, these bones are taken out. 114 KIRWAN'fS LETTERS. Old bones. The boy at Boyle. Xavier. ahd are borne away as precious relics, and as preserv atives against various afflictions and diseases. These mfraculous old bones are, of course, sold ! They have no mfraculous power unless they are paid for, and that pretty liberally ! Is any thing in Jocelin worse than this ? Within a short time, a poor boy, near Boyle, in Ire land, -went to a Protestant school. His mother gave a reluctant consent. This boy was chiUed almost to dea-th in a bog during a stormy day, and went home violently sick. A numbness pervaded his body, which medicine and time only could remove. The poor moth er, thinking it was a -visitation of heaven upon herself and child for permitting him to go to the Protestant school, sent for the priest. He confirmed her suspi cions, and offered to oast out the devil that possessed the boy on the condition that he should hot go again to the Protestant school. The conditions were agreed to ; and just as the boy was on the recovery, the priest exorcised the evU spfritj and he is now alive Eind weU ! And I saw the poor, bare-footed mother of that boy, who submitted to the locking up of the mind of her chUd in ignorance, to secure the muttering of a miserable ex orcism over him by a contemptible priest ! Is any thing in JoceUn worse than this ? Have you ever, Sfr, read the life of Francis Xavier ? It was one of the classics of my youthful days. If you have not, wiU you permit me to ask you to glance at it — I do not ask you to read it. He -wrought prodig ious miracles, far surpassing in number and power those of the Savior of the world. He foretold future events — spoke unknb-wn languages — calmed tempests at sea kirwan's LETTERS. 115 His miracles. , Wonderful crab. St. Crab. ^-cured various diseases — and raised the dead to life. And although all performed in India, Dr. Milner, in his wonderfully absurd book, " The End of Controversy," endorses them all. Permit me to narrate to you one of the mfracles of this saint as a specimen of the rest. St. Francis had a most precious crucifix, which, in a -voy age at sea, he lost overboard. He was inconsolable, and prayed for its recovery. Walking one day upon the sea-shore, he saw his lost crucifix coming toward him on the surface of the water ! He went down joy fully to the water's edge, when a crab, holding the cru cifix in his claws, paddled up to him, and most rever- entiy laid it do-wn at his feet ! But the credit of this mfracle is due, not so much to Xavier as to the crab ; and, were I one of the court which makes dead men saints, who -wrought mfracles in attestation of their sanctity, I think I would find it difficult to decide be tween the claims of Xa-vier and the crab for a place in the calendar. Might there not be a St. Crab as well as a St. Viar ? An old stone, much mutUated, was found -with the letters S. Viar upon it. It was imme diately supposed to be the grave-stone of St. Viar, who was immediately placed in the calendar. The dost pieces of the stone were found, and, when put together, the inscription ran thus : Prefectus Viarum, overseer of the high-ways. Yet St. Viar was not deposed. And what is in the way of having a St. Crab ? Now, Sfr, are priests -who practice such gross frauds as these — ^who, by sham mfracles like these, seek to keep the yoke of Romanism upon the necks of the ig norant in aU lands — are such priests, to be trusted, or in any form countenanced ? Are such priests fit to be 116 Pnest Jugglers. Not to lie countenanced. intirusted with the formation of the character of our peo ple ? Is not every- thing we hold dear in danger, just in proportion to the number and the influence of such jugglers and thefr adherents'? If, Sfr, it were possible for you to write a book advocating thesesham mfracles, like MUner, or like the "Very Rev. P. R. Kenrick, V. G.," I have no doubt but that you would die of the disease of self-contempt. And what respect can you keep up for the priests that advocate them, or for the system of Ro manism, of whose literature and faith they form so con spicuous a part ? With great respect, yours. K I R W A N ' S L E T T E R S. 117 Relics. Foundation. Scala Sancta. LETTER XIV. Relics. — Scala Sancta. — Sancta Sanctorum. — Eelics of SaBta Croce — of St. Proxede — of St. Peter's — in Milan^u Cologne. — Sanctioned by the Church. — Made to Order. — That they should be ti-ue, not essen tial. — Their Effects upon the People.— These Forgers of Eelics un fitted to be our moral Teachers. My dear Sir, — The spirit of Romanism is the, spfrit of human nature. WeU considering the instincts of the faUen nature of man, it has buUt upon those in stincts a system of superstition which towers to heaven, and which casts its dark shadow over aU the earth. A regard for reUcs is a part of our nature. We cherish -with fond affection any thing which serves as a memo rial of parents, chUdren, valued friends — of the great, the wise, the good, the heroic, who have adorned the race, and blessed the earth by thefr deeds. And upon this principle of human nature, in itself innocent, and, within due bounds, laudable, Romanism has built up a system of fraud, and falsehood, and imposture, which should unite the race in hissing it out of the world. Permit me to ask your attention, in the present letter, to the reUcs of Romanism. Near to the Church of St. John Lateran, and within the same inclosure, is a little chapel which contains the celebrated Scala Sancta, or holy stair-case. It contains twenty-eight white marble steps ; and the priests inform us that this is the holy stafr-case which 118 KIRWAN S LETTERS. Transported by Angelo. Beggars. Luther. Christ several times ascended and descended when he appeared before PUate, and that it was carried by an gels from Jerusalem to Roihc At certain times it is covered with persons crawling up it ofrthefr knees, with thefr rosaries in thefr hands, and kissing each step as they ascend. I called at this place several times to see the devotees, but in vain. I went up and do-wn the lateral steps without any to iriolest me, save a fleshly old monk, who sat as sentiy facing the holy stafrs, and who never failed to jingle a money-box in my face. On one occasion, two beggars offered to go up the stafrs for The, in due form, for a paul each, and to pray for me as they crawled up ; but it would look like simony, and L declined the bargain. On another occasion, I ven-tured to place my Protestant feet on the three upper stafrs, when my valet was frightened into hysterics lest the pebple should know it, or I should be punished for sac rilege. Resolved not to be cheated out of a sight I so long desfred to see, I went there on a Friday afternoon, and the stafrs were covered with people, mostly beg gars, most devoutly crawling on thefr knees ; and when the ceremony was ended, going away in the highest merriment. But not a priest was there. As I gazed upon the revolting and superstitious scene, my mind recurred to that memorable day in the world's history when Luther ascended these stafrs. " WhUe going through his meritorious work," says D'Aubigne, "he thought he heard a voice like thunder speaking from the depths of his heart, ^ The fust shall live by faith.'' These words resounded instantaneously and powerfiiUy within him. He started up in terror on the steps up which he had been crawling : he was horrified at him- KIRWAN's LETTERS. 119 Made free. Sancta Sanctorum. Contents. self; and, struck with shame for the degradation to which superstition had degraded him, he fled from the scene of his foUy." From that hour he walked forth a free man ; and thus the fraud of the holy stafrs, and the revolting, degrading superstitions there practiced, were promotive of the glorious Reformation. This grand incident gave tiiose wooden-covered stafrs more interest to me than aU the legends of monkery and priestcraft concerning tiiem. There is a vast aniount of mystery and sacredness thro-wn around the Uttle buUding which contains these holy stafrs. Here are several apartments which are kept locked, and to which I sought admission in vain. At the top of the holy stafrs is a room caUed the Sanc ta Sanctorum, vrhioh. is held in pecuUar veneration. There is a picture of the Sa-vior, by Luke, seven palms high, and an exact picture of him when twelve years of age ! There is the pen of the seraphic, doctor, brought by an angel from heaven, and -with -which he -wrote his works ! There is a feather from the -wing of the arch angel, which he dropped on the salutation of Mary ! There is a bottle of the milk of Mary ! There is a bot tle of the tears which Jesus shed at the grave of Laz arus ! • And there is the cord which bound the Savior to the post when scourged ! .And in the church itself are the heads of Peter and Paul, which, on certain oc casions, are exhibited -with magnificent parade. Indeed, St. John Lateran is exceedingly rich injeUcs, as it ought to be, considering it is denominated " Mater et caput ecclesiarum." The Church, of Santa Croce, in Gerusalemme, is one of the great basilicas of Rome. It was buUt, it is said. 120 kirwan's LETTERS. Santa Groce^ Helena: . ' ' Many relics. by Helena, on the site of the residence of the brute He- Uogabalus, and of his successor Severus. It derives its name fi'om the fact,- or fiction, that Helena deposit ed there a thfrd part of the holy cross -yvhiCh she dis covered on Calvary, and mixed with its foundation some holy clay from Jerusalem. This is the place where the "golden rose" of former days was consecrated ; but it is now famous only for its large collection of relics. Near the chancel are two/catalogueS hung up for the perusal of aU : bne is a detail of the indulgences grant ed to all who there Worship, and the other is a list of its sacred relics. The Ust I saw myself j ahd give- it, as tianslated by Seymour. It is very rich, and worthy of all attention. " Three pieces of the true cross, deposited by Con stantino, and kept in a case of gold and jewels. " The titie placed over the cross, with the -writing in Hebrew, Greek, and-L'atin. ' ' One of the niost holy naUs by which our Lord Jesus was cruciified. " Two thorns from the croWn of our Lord Jesus. " The finger of St. Thomas, which touched the most holy rib of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. " The transverse beam of the cross of the repentant thief. " One of the pieces of money supposed to be given for the betiayal of Christ. " The bodies of St. Csesarius and Anastasius. " The cord by which our Lord was bound to the cross. "The sponge -Which^ontained the gall and worm wood. " A large piece of the coat of Christ. kirwan's LETTERS. 121 List of holy relics. " A large piece of the vail and hafr- of the Vfrgin. " Some of the clothing of St. John the Baptist. " Portions of the arms of St. Peter and St. Paul. " Some of the ashes of St. La-wrence the martyr. " A vessel of the balm in which the head of St. Vin cent was dipped. " Some earth fi-om Calvary saturated with the blood of Christ. " A vial fuU of the blood of Christ. " A vial full of the mUk of Mary. " A piece of the sepulchre of Christ. " A piece of Mount Calvary. " A piece of the place where Christ was smitten." To shorten this catalogue of wonders, I must omit the Ust of bits of stones from the various places men tioned in the history of Christ. " Some of the cotton in which was collected the blood of Christ. " Some of the manna which fell in the wilderness. " Some relics of eleven prophets. " A portion of the rod of Aaron, that budded. ^' A part of the head of John the Baptist. " Some of the skin and hafr of St. Catharine of Si^ enna. " A tooth of St. Peter. " A tooth of St. Giordon." And then follows a list of some bones of a hundred and one apostles, prophets, martyrs, widows, and vfr gins ; and the whole closes up with " a hundred and thfrty-seven cases of other relics of saints, both male ahd female, whose names antiquity has hot distinguished." And those relics. Sir, are exposed, on certain occasions, F 122 kirwan's LETTERS. Exposed to adoration. St Praxede. Other relics. by cardinals and bishops, for the worship and adoration of the vulgar ! The following are some of the relics in the Church of St. Praxede, taken from the catalogue engraved in marble, and near the altar, where all can read it. ' "A tooth of St. Peter. "A tooth of St. Paul. " The chemise of the blessed Virgin Mary. " The gfrdle of Christ. " The reed and sponge given to our Lord -with gall and vinegar. " The swaddling clothes of Christ. " The coat without seam, belonging to our Lord. " Three thorns of the cro-wn of thorns. " The tomb of the Vfrgin Mary." Then follows a list of the heads, arms, knees, thighs, cloaks of apostles, monks, martyrs, saints, and -vfrgins, with which I will neither burden my page nor your memory. Even at the risk of disgusting you and my readers with these miserable relics, I wUl name a few more of them. In St. Peter's they show you the very pUlar against which Christ leaned in the temple at Jerusa lem — portions of the cross — Veronica's image of the Savior — the head of St. .Andrew, and the spear of St. Longinus, presented by Bajazet. In St. John Lateran is the table at which the Lord's Supper was instituted. In the Mamartine prison they show a curious stone, covered with a grating to preserve it. It has a hollow on its surface. A soldier knocked down Peter, and his head fell on this stone, and made that deep hoUow in it. Peter's head must have been quite hard ! At St. Pietre kirwan's LETTERS. 123 St. Peter's chair. Brazen serpent. . Scene at Cologne. di Vinculo they show the chain that bound Peter, and which was mfraculously broken by the angel ! Filings from this chain have been sold at exorbitant prices, to be set in rings and breast-pins by the faithful ! In an other church is a square stone of white marble, which was carried by angels through the afr from Jerusalem, on wlUch the Savior stood when he met the apostles after his resurrection, and bearing the marks of both his feet ! Around this stone beggars pray, and cover it with kisses I In Milan they show you the skeleton of Borromeo, gorgeously arrayed, and a vast supply of the teeth, naUs, hafr, and bits of skin of the apostles, put up in glass -vials ; as also the brazen serpent which Moses made in the wilderness, and which Hezekiah caused to be broken in pieces ! These relics you find every where in Papal countiies. In a box behind the altar, in the Cathedral at Cologne, they have the skel etons of the three kings that worshiped the Savior, and the bones of the Magi ; and for six francs you are shown these old bones, by a jolly beadle, for the good of the Church ! On the left, as you enter by a side door, and turn toward the altar, is a case containing Mary and Bambino, and, as is said, some most precious relics. This case I saw covered over with heads, and arms, and legs, and hearts, made of composition, as votive offer ings for cures performed by the image and the relics. I saw a woman, and an old man, and a young gfrl dis eased in the eyes, bowing before this case, while some females were scrubbing the stone floor and screaming at the top of their voice, and some boys were playing hide and go seek around them. But enough of this horrible wickedness of the priests, and gross ignorance 124 kirwan's letters. Sanctioned. Are these true relics. and superstition of the people. I feel humiliated in even penning these terrible evidences of the enormous wickedness of Romanism and its priests. But you wUl ask. Are these things sanctioned by the Pope and his cardinals ? Sanctioned by them ! Why, Sir, they glory in them. And on set occasions these rel ics are brought Out by the Pope and the cardinals, and are exposed to the populace with magnificent pomp, who bow and prostiate themselves before these old bones, old coats, old wood, and old stones, more profoundly than they ever do before God ! 0, Sfr, could you be present at the exhibition of relics in St. Peter's — or in St. John Lateran — or in Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, and witness the solemn pomp -with which these relics are adored by Pope, cardinals, bishops, and the inferior clergy, you would never again think of the question whether or not they are sanctioned by the Pope and his cardinals ! But are these the true relics which they, are repre sented to be ? Impossible. Who can beUeve that the Holy House of Loretto — the blood and head of Janua rius — the Bambino of Ara CoeU — ^the chemise of the Virgin — the bottle of her mUk — ^the robe of the Sa-vior — ^the bones of the saints, are what they are said to be ? When you push the keepers of these reUcs, they wiU admit that there is no certainty as to them. And, as in the case of the bodies of Peter and Paul, which are said to be under the great altar of St. Peter's, when you seek to find many of them, they are not there. Multi tudes of the old cases and boxes which are shown you as the sacred deposit^ of relics, contain nothing — or nothing Uke what is represented. The thorns from the crown of thorns are iron nails — and the bones of the kirwan's letters. 125 Fit to be a priest What motive ? Mr. Milner. saints are nothing but old bones coUected fi-om the Cat acombs, and labeled for the market ! The man who can believe that that old feather is fi-om the wing of Gabriel — ^that that old cloth was the chemise of the Vfrgin — ^that those old bones were those of the persons to whom they are attributed, is almost fit to be a Pa pal priest ! He certainly is, if the other necessary qualifications are as strongly developed as his credulity. Indeed, he is fit to be a tiue yoke-feUow of the "Very Reverend P. R. Kenrick, V. G." But what motive can there be for such gross imposi tions ? Motive enough for men who have no conscience, and who tiaffic in the souls of men. What would be come of the monks of Ara Cceli without the wonder working Bambino ? They Would starve. These relics attract multitudes to thefr shrines, aU of whom pay for the sight, and pay the priests in keeping, to say masses for thefr friends in Purgatory. Even E nglish and Amer ican Protestants spend tens of thousands yearly for a sight at these things, to laugh about them after they return home. And Rome is the great Relic market of the world. When a relic is needed for the sanctifying of a church in New York- or Baltimore, an order is sent ¦to the Holy City, and a relic is made to order. Nothing is needful but to take off an old label from an old bone, or a dry piece of wood, or from an old piece of stone, and to put on a new one. And Mr. MUner informs us, that if our devotions are honest, it makes no matter whether or hot the relic is what it purports to be! ! If you send for a finger of Peter, and you are sent the finger of PUate, it is just as good, if you are only sin cere ! ! And who doubts it ? And when the boxes of acred bones in t^o nVmrpli of Santa Croce, to which 126 KIRWAN's LETTERS. Relics enrich. The morale. Priestly reverence. antiquity has assigned no names, but to which priests now do, are exhausted, they are very easUy supplied with bones just as old and as sacred. Indeed, these relics db more to enrich the Church of Rome, and to attract pilgrims and wonder-hunters, than any other scheme which the priests have devised. By means of relics, the priests have con-verted the Catacombs into mines of gold. And what, you may ask, is the morale of aU this ? Just such as you might expect. If no good can be rea sonably expected from worshiping the glorious sun — or the beautiful moon, with her attendant stars — or the magnificent river, that waters and fertUizes the earth — or the statue of an old hero, that, by his prowess in war, fought his way to a seat on Olympus to quaff nec tar with the gods, what good can be expected from the veneration or worship of rotten bones from the Cata combs — of little splinters from the arms, the legs, the ribs, or the skuUs of fabulous saints — of holy bits of skin — of the parings of holy naUs — of little clippings of holy garments— -or of pieces of old wood, or frag ments of stones ? To ask the question is to answer it. But are these venerated or worshiped, you ask ? Go to Rome, and to the Church of St. Peter's, and you -wUl see, at " the exhibition of relics," the Pope, cardinals, bishops, and priests kneeling and bowing before these things, with a reverence as profound as ever you saw manifested by a congregation of Irish Papists on what is caUed the elevation of the Host. The Pope and his entfre court give, not merely an assent to the whole imposture, but are leaders in thefr veneration and wor ship, and for the purpose of giving eclat to the wicked thing with the populace. And the whole effect upon 127 Disastrous etfect Are these the teachers for us ? the minds and morals of the people is most disastious. God is a jealous god, nor wUl he give his glory to an other. Nor wiU he permit man, created in his o-Wn image, to give to the creature the worship which is his due, without causing the consequences of such wick edness to foUow him. And the worshipers of those old bones, and stones, and spears, and holy feathers, are just as moral as you might expect them to be ; and so are the cardinals and priests, who are the chief act ors in the monstiously -wicked farce. As I shall show you in the sequel, Rome is another Sodom. Now, Sfr, in view of aU this, whose truthfulness no informed person wUl question, permit me to ask you, whether Romanism is the form of religion suited to our American people ? Are these forgers of old relics, and promoters of thefr veneration, and who amass ehor- mous revenues by their exhibition and sale, the best teachers of reUgion and morals for us ? Is the un blushing effrontery of our imported bishop and priests to be quietly borne, who tell us that these forgers and worshipers of relics, and who, by the sale of old bones from the Catacombs as the bones of saints and mar- tjnrs, defraud the world yearly of enormous sums of money, are the -vicegerents of God, and that there is no salvation for us but by submission to thefr teaching and authority? What! no salvation -for you or me save as we submit to that old Pope who bows in rev erence and adoration before a box of old bones ! Mon stious ! As weU might they send you tb learn patriot ism from Arnold, or me to learn the religion of God from the priests of Baal. With great respect, yours. 128 KIHWAN'S LETTERS. S. Carlo. A scene there. LETTER XV. Legends. — Sabbath evening in S. Carlo. — Gorgeous scene there. — Le gends from Butler — from Lives of Enghsh Saints. — Dr. Duff's Testi mony. — Foolish Legends of the Dark Ages revived. — The Beligion of Legends not fitted for America. , My dear Sir, — ^In the present letter I ask your at tention to the legends of Romanism. Unless I greatly err in judgment, you wiU find in them another power ful reason for the utter rejection of a system which lives by fabricating and propagating them. My first Sabbath evening in Rome was spent in the Church of S. Carlo, in the Corso. I was attiacted there, -with others, to -witness a high ceremony in hon or of a saint whose name I now forget. The house was fuU, and in this respect was an exception to all I -wit nessed in Romish churches in Europe. It has three naves, divided by Corinthian columns ; the middle one Was crowded -with chUdren of both sexes ; the gfrls dressed in white, with white vaUs most gracefully pin ned on thefr hafr, and flowing do'wn thefr shoulders. Each chUd held in her right hand a smaU stick, with a beautiful flower tied to it -with a string, and in her left, a lighted candle. A forest of candles blazed on the high altar. The Litany was responsively sung by the chofr and the congregation, and with grand effect. The appearance of the chUdren, each holding thefr stick, flower, and candle, and aU kneeUng, rising, tiirning kirwan's letters. 129 A priest ^ A cardinal. Explanation. round at the word of command, lUic little soldiers, was most interesting. Indeed, the whole scene was a gor geous one. At a pause in the music, a long, lean Ital ian priest — and, in these respects, an exception to his short and staU-fed brethren — ascended a desk, and, in a most furious style, poured forth a short address to the chUdren. The music again struck up, and, at another pause, a fat and monkish-looking priest, from another part of the house, addressed them ; and, by thefr winks and smUes, the children seemed to enjoy the scene very much. Soon a movement was made to the left, and a pussy -looking cardinal made his appearance, headed and foUowed by priests and servants, bearing candles, a crook, and a cross; and, puffing under the double weight of his fat and canonicals, he made his way to the high altar. Mass was soon said, for the evening was quite hot, and the congregation dispersed. " And what," said I to our attendant, " is the meaning of all this ? What was meant by that stick, and flower, and those candles in the hands of the chUdren ?" " This is Saint 's day," said he. " The saint, when once going up a hUl, was very weary, and he stuck his staff in the ground, and he leaned upon its top to rest. He prayed for some evidence from heaven that he was in the right way ; and his dry stick instantly bore a beau tiful blossom 1 To commemorate that mfracle was the object of the stick and flower in the hands of the chU dren. And the candle was an emblem of the light of holiness reflected on the world by his life." Not un derstanding Italian, "What," I asked, " said those loud preachers to the chUdren ?" " They told them of the many wonders wrought by the saint, and exhorted them F 2 130 kirwan's letters. Legend defined. St Agnes. St Egwin. to venerate him and to follow his example," was the re ply. Here is a foolish legend, that I myself saw com memorated by a cardinal and many priests ; and such legends form a great part of the religious literature of Romanism. They are published by authority, and have a prodigious influence upon the ignorant Papists of all nations. Permit me to detail a few of them, remem bering that " a legend is a story told respecting the saints." Some of these I ha-ve already detailed in my letters to you on sham mfracles. A man who insulted Sl^. Agnes was struck blind by a flash of light. On being brought to the young vfrgin, she imiriediately restored him to sight. She wrought many mfracles. St. Anthony was often assaulted by the De-vU in human form, was often beaten by him lin- tU almost dead, but always came off victor. He cured many diseases ; bu-t was especially famous for the cure of that disease which has taken his name, " St. An thony's fire." St. Gudule, whose reUcs are, in the churcfrof that name in Brussels, lighted her candles by her prayers. Might she not have understood the pro cess of making lucifer matches ? St. Theodosius often mfraculously supplied his many guests with provisions, and a woman' was mfraculously healed of a cancer by the touch of his garment. A general, going to war with the Persians, begged his hafr shfrt, and. Wearing it in battle, gained a great victory, " by the protection of the saint through the pledge of that relic." St.Mgwin, going on a pilgrimage to Rome, put on his legs fron shackles, and threw the key into the Severn ; but he found it in the belly of a fish in Rome, which enabled him to take off his shackles. The mfracles of St. Hi- 131 St Placidus. St Romuald. St Scholastica. lary fiU a whole book. St. Placidus fell into a lake, and was carried out by a current into deep water ; St. Benedict saw this in a -vision, and sent out St. Maurus to save him ; Maurus walked upon the water without sinking in the least, and drew him to shore. St. Ma- carius made a dead man to speak, to convince an unbe- Uever of the tiuth of the doctrine of the resurrection. The reUcs of St. Francis of Sales raised to life two per sons that were dro-wned, and have cured the blind and paralytics. St. Romuald drove several de-vils out of his ceU who were scourging him, by mentioning the name of Jesus, and calmed a tempest on the sea, and wrought many mfracles. His order of monks wear a white robe, the idea of which was suggested to him by seeing them going up a ladder to heaven in white. He died in the year 1020 or 1030, and his body remained perfect as late as 1466. His relics have wrought wonders. St. Richard cured his son by laying him at, the foot of a great crucifix, and his reUes have -wrought mfracles. St. Stephen told others thefr secret thoughts, wrought many mfracles, as also did his reUcs. St. Scholastica was the sister of St. Benedict. They met one day, and the sister insisted that her brother should spend the night with her. But the rules of his monastery forbade him, and he refused. She prayed the Lord to stop his going away, and immediately a most fearful storm arose, which compeUed him to remain. The sister died in a few days after, and Benedict saw her soul from Mount Cassino going to heaven, in the form of a dove ! St. John of Egypt was a prophet, foretold future events, and did wonders. He gave eyes to a blind girl, and spent a night, in vision, with a lady who wishe